Chapter 53

Madam Liang pulled Wang Yuan’er back to the eastern room, closed the door, and pressed her onto the kang (a heated brick bed), her face filled with urgency: “Yuan’er, why did you butt heads with your grandma and the others? What are we supposed to do now? Your grandma is a devout Buddhist. On the very first day of the New Year, you just had to bring up that word, and…and with your second uncle as well. Oh dear!”

As she spoke, she suddenly let out a soft cry, clutching her stomach.

“Mom, what’s wrong?” Wang Yuan’er was startled and quickly helped her to lie on the kang.

Madam Liang waved her hand, took a deep breath, and said, “It’s nothing.”

Only then did Wang Yuan’er breathe a sigh of relief, playfully scolding, “You really scared me!” She then sat beside her, gently massaging her swollen arm, and softly said, “Mom, we need to stand firm when necessary, or else everyone will think they can bully us.”

“You child, you used to be so soft and tender—how did you become so stubborn? Whose temper have you inherited?” Madam Liang poked her on the nose and said, “Your dad and I aren’t like this.”

“Like who? Like grandma, of course.” Wang Yuan’er pouted.

“Not quite. I think you’ve inherited your grandpa’s temperament.” Madam Liang’s lips curled into a smile as she reminisced about something from the past, but that smile quickly faded.

Seeing this, Wang Yuan’er changed the topic: “It doesn’t matter who I resemble. The main thing is that Second Uncle can’t just take my formula so easily—that’s not happening.”

Madam Liang sighed, took her hand, and patted it gently: “I know you have strong opinions, and I’m aware of that. But now that your father has passed, our family is just us women. As for the baby in my belly, I don’t know yet whether it’s a boy or a girl. Regardless, in the future, we will inevitably rely on your Second Uncle for support. Why must you clash with him? Women often suffer more than men do.”

“Mom, don’t worry! This little one is definitely a strong little boy!” She gently patted Madam Liang’s slightly pointed belly and noticed that the baby’s position had dropped. She said, “Mom, I see the baby has moved lower. It seems you’ll give birth in a few more days. Please take extra care. There’s ice and snow outside, and the roads are slippery—don’t go out walking. Also, don’t let yourself get upset. Leave the household matters to me!”

Feeling comforted by her words, Madam Liang chuckled and teased, “How can you be so sure it’s a boy? Are you some kind of fortune-teller?”

Wang Yuan’er grinned and said, “I just know! This little treasure is coming to join our family.”

Madam Liang teased her for a while and then said, “Don’t take it lightly. After all, we are a family of a widowed mother and her orphaned child. Currently, we rely on your Second Uncle’s household. Later, offer him a cup of tea to ease tensions.”

Although Wang Yuan’er was reluctant, she knew this wasn’t the time to argue with Madam Liang. She gave an unwilling “okay,” and the mother and daughter began discussing arrangements for visiting her maternal grandparents’ house.

Meanwhile, in the western room, Wang Er was lying angrily on the kang. Madam Zhang was beside him, chattering incessantly and berating Wang Yuan’er, calling her ungrateful, and so on.

“Enough, enough! Stop saying such disheartening words. It’s annoying to listen to,” Wang Er snapped irritably, sitting up in frustration.

“So now you find me annoying? Then tell me, what should we do about this?” Madam Zhang huffed.

“What should we do? Yuan’er actually has a point. Over the years, we’ve privately given your eldest brother’s family so much money, but what have they ever done for us? At least throwing money into the water makes a splash!” Wang Er was also full of resentment. The money had been spent, yet nothing had been accomplished—how could he be content with that?

Madam Zhang’s face darkened. “So, you’re blaming me now, is that it? For whose sake did I do all that? Wasn’t it all for this family? The way you’re talking makes it sound like I intentionally gave the money away to my own family!”

Seeing her displeased expression, Wang Er said nothing more. He simply remarked, “I’m going out,” and swiftly left the house, leaving Madam Zhang so angry that she bit her lip.

Chapter 54

The second day of the lunar New Year is the day for married daughters to visit their parents’ homes. Early in the morning, Madam Zhang brought a few of her children, along with Wang Er, carrying big and small bags, back to her parents’ house.

Wang Qing’er looked at Wang Min’er, who was dressed magnificently: a long pink dress adorned with begonia flowers, a thick cotton jacket with water-red trim and rabbit fur, and somehow she even found a white cape also trimmed with rabbit fur. On her feet were pink embroidered shoes, her ears adorned with pearl pendants, and her hair was pinned with artificial silk flowers, looking every bit like a young lady from a prominent family.

In contrast, she herself wore a half-new, half-old blue skirt and an indigo jacket that was seven or eight years old, although it was her best outfit, reserved for special occasions like the New Year. Even so, it had been several years since it was last worn.

They were all granddaughters, so why was Wang Min’er dressed so well while she and her sisters looked so shabby?

She let out a heavy snort and mumbled a cutting remark under her breath—not loud, but certainly not pleasant.

Wang Yuan’er happened to hear it and gently knocked on her forehead, saying, “Who taught you such sharp words? Be careful, or you’ll be in trouble if Grandmother hears it.”

Yesterday, Wang Qing’er said something similar that made Grandma Wang so furious she nearly exploded. Today, when Grandma called her, she just ignored her!

Wang Qing’er, brimming with envy, pursed her lips. “I’m not afraid! Eldest Sister, we’re all the same granddaughters, so why is she dressed so well? Grandmother is so biased, always stuffing money into the second branch of the family!”

Wang Yuan’er adjusted Qing’er’s collar and said, “She might dress lavishly, but even if we had such things, we shouldn’t wear them now.”

They were in mourning and shouldn’t be wearing bright, colorful clothing. Their modest dress was to show their respect and filial piety.

Wang Qing’er pouted, tapping the ground with her toes.

“Besides, Grandmother is the mistress of the house. She manages the household, and whoever she wants to spend money on is her choice. We shouldn’t keep scheming about it,” Wang Yuan’er said, patting Wang Qing’er’s face. “Stop thinking about it. What others have is theirs; what we have is ours. You should work hard so you can dress even better than her in the future.”

Wang Qing’er responded with a hum, secretly vowing to outshine Wang Min’er one day.

Madam Liang couldn’t manage to go to their maternal grandparents’ house. Her belly was so big that she was about to give birth, and with snow and ice on the roads, it was too risky, so she stayed behind. But leaving only her in the main house wasn’t an option either—someone needed to stay to help out. So Wang Chun’er stayed to look after things. In the end, it was just the three sisters who went to their maternal grandparents’ house.

When they mentioned they were visiting their maternal grandparents for the New Year, Grandma Wang didn’t say much. On the first day of the New Year, Wang Yuan’er had offended her and touched her nerve. She was still angry, refusing to let Wang Yuan’er in the door and leaving them to go wherever they pleased.

Hearing no response, Wang Yuan’er had no choice but to shout through the door. She then left, carrying a variety of gifts, along with Madam Liang’s instructions and concerns, and led Wang Qing’er and Wang Lan’er out the door.

“Remember to kowtow to your grandpa and grandma three times for me!” Madam Liang called to Wang Yuan’er’s back, leaning on the door frame with one hand on her waist.

Wang Yuan’er turned around to reply. The sunlight hit Madam Liang’s face at just the right angle, making it hard to see her clearly. A sudden wave of unease swept over her. She took several steps forward, looked at her mother’s face carefully, and replied, “Mother, I understand.”

“Go ahead and keep an eye on your younger sisters. Don’t let them fool around. Qing’er, Lan’er, make sure you listen to your eldest sister,” Madam Liang said, waving her hand.

“Mother, we know!” they answered.

Wang Yuan’er pushed down her discomfort, slung a basket over her back, and headed to the carriage station. After paying the fare, they left Changle Town and headed toward Shilong Town.